A boy of 15 has been banned from keeping animals for four years after putting a hamster in a freezer, tumble dryer and washing machine.

Rspca inspector Mike Pugh told a youth court in Harrogate, North Yorks: "What this boy did was horrendous. It took over half an hour for the hamster to die after first being frozen, heated in a revolving drum and finally drowned."

The teenager - one of several who were guests at the hamster owner's house - pleaded guilty to causing suffering and was given a supervision order.